For Sons

1. Work hard, even when no one is watching. The definition of integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.
2. Honesty actually is the best policy. Teach your son the value of honesty from an early age.
3. Have a good handshake. Inspire confidence in your son. Encourage him to look people in the eye when he talks to them and to approach every situation with confidence (not pride, but confidence).
4. Always treat women with respect. This is an area where your son will do as you do, more so than listen to what you say. It is essential that you talk to him explicitly about what it means to respect women – starting with his mothers and sisters – and also show him in your actions and the way you treat his mother.
5. Serve your community. So often, the decisions we make affect so many other people. Talk to your son about how his decisions and actions affect others, and serve with him. Find a local shelter or soup kitchen, give to a clothing drive – or let him pick how he wants to serve. It is never to early to start volunteering together.
6. Don’t be afraid of or ignore emotions. So often, it seems that manhood today is associated with “strong and silent.” However, your son will be happier and healthier if he learns to acknowledge his emotions and work through them. Encourage your son to talk to you about how he feels about certain situations. Who knows – it could be good for your emotions, too!
7. Be able to cook and clean for yourself. Your son will probably live on his own for at least a few years. Don’t let him depend on mom for everything. Even if his cooking skills stop at scrambled eggs, it is important that he learn to take care of himself.
8. Be smart about the risks you take. Boys tend to be natural risk-takers, which can be good, but these tendencies also need to be guided. Encourage adventure while teaching your son to think through his decisions.
9. Know your weaknesses. Today’s culture is filled with temptations and distractions – particularly for young men. Talk to your son about the importance of knowing yourself well enough to know your weaknesses – and how to avoid and walk away from risky situations.
10. Don’t take your blessings for granted. Remind your son how fortunate he is. It’s easy to lose sight of our blessings, and it is a good reminder for all of us.

For Daughters

1. Work hard, even when no one is watching. The definition of integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.
2. Honesty actually is the best policy. Teach your daughter the value of honesty from an early age.
3. Modesty isn’t an old fashioned ideal. You can be modest and still be trendy. Emphasize that there is nothing wrong with “leaving something to the imagination.”
4. Protect your heart. Encourage your daughter to proceed cautiously in dating relationships.
5. Serve your community. So often, the decisions we make affect so many other people. Talk to your daughter about how her decisions and actions affect others, and serve with her. Find a local shelter or soup kitchen, give to a clothing drive – or let her pick how she wants to serve. It is never to early to start volunteering together.
6. Focus on the beauty on the inside. Our culture puts so much focus on outer beauty and it is difficult for girls to develop positive body images. Affirm your daughter’s beauty – inside and out – and encourage her to focus on true beauty: inner beauty.
7. Don’t be afraid to take risks. Encourage your daughter to pursue her dreams and take (reasonable) risks to advance her learning, her career, and provide enriching learning experiences.
8. Gossip is dangerous. Girls are known to gossip. Deal with this habit early on and talk to your daughter about how destructive gossip can be.
9. Don’t be afraid to walk into a room alone. This is all about inspiring confidence in your daughter. Teach her to have a firm handshake, look people in the eye when she talks to them, and to be able to be confident even if she’s not surrounded by her three giggilng best friends.
10. Don’t take your blessings for granted. Remind your daughter how fortunate she is. It’s easy to lose sight of our blessings, and it is a good reminder for all of us.

Yes, some things overlap, and some things that you teach your son, you should also teach your daughter – and vice versa. It’s important to know your kids’ personalities so you can know what they need to learn and how they need to grow.

My wife and I have five kids, all under the age of 10 years old. The three oldest (ages 5, 8, and 10) are already familiar with the Internet and Google for searching for kids games and activities, and the eventual school report. We have recently taken the steps to ensure they will not accidentally stumble across a inappropriate sites by configuring OpenDNS on our home network. Also, we’ve found there are additional methods we can take as parents when it comes to protecting your child’s personal information and privacy online.

• Check out sites your kids visit, and see what kind of information the sites ask for or allow kids to post.

• Talk to your child about the risks and benefits of disclosing certain information, especially in a public forum.

• Take a look at the privacy policy, which should say what the site does with the information it collects. Then you can decide how you feel about it.

• Ask questions. If you’re not clear on a site’s practices or policies, ask about them.

• Be selective with your permission. In many cases, websites need your okay before they’re allowed to collect personal information from your kids.

• Know your rights. For example, as a parent, you have the right to have a site delete any personal information it has about your child.

• Report a website. If you think a site has collected or disclosed information from your kids or marketed to them in a way that violates the law, report it to the FTC.

We’re all familiar with the web by now and over the years have come to know first-hand the dangers that are out there. When it comes to our children, we can never to be too safe.

To expand on the points above and to learn more about how you can protect your child’s online privacy, please visit OnGuardOnline.gov.

I’d like to share the story of my experience with you in this post and hope that you too may be able to get a glimpse into this very special event.

He's here!

The birth itself was very different from any of the other kids. Since we live in Utah now, we had the option to use a midwife and deliver at an independent birthing center, instead of a hospital. This means there was no medical equipment all over the place, no drugs to speed up the process, and no nurses to tell me “No, you can’t do that!” In fact, we were allowed to do whatever, however, whenever we wanted. Very natural and very personal. This was a bit scary for me at first, but after arriving and settling in, I began to see that everything was under control and we were in good hands. I highly recommend using a midwife if you have that option.

Dad & Benjamin

We arrived at the birthing center around 7am and the contractions were coming on fast and furious. I kept my cool and did whatever I could to help my wife, Tricia, stay calm and collected. After a little while, we decided to move to the tub and soak in some warm water. A few minutes later… He was here! We’ve never experienced a water birth before and this was simply amazing! The baby came really fast and when it was out, we immediately noticed that the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck three times. But the nurses quickly unwound it and gave him to Tricia.

All ready to go home!

After a few minutes, I had the honor of cutting the cord. We were then both allowed to hold him and relax with him for the next hour or so. The nurses then came back in and took vitals and got all the birth statistics, like weight and height. They then stamped our baby book and certificate with footprints, and even offered to stamp a footprint on my arm.

Once all the medical paperwork was out of the way, we were all set to return to the comfort of our own home. What a beautiful day and a wonderful experience… One that I’ll never forget.